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Kathleen Wynne agrees to form sexual harassment committee

Premier Kathleen Wynne will strike a wide-ranging all-party committee to examine sexual assault and harassment in the workplace and beyond.

Under pressure from the Progressive Conservatives in the wake of allegations swirling around fired CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi that have heightened awareness of abuse, Wynne on Monday agreed to act.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, pictured in a news conference with New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant on Monday, called sexual violence and harassment "a reality in every community in this province." (Richard J. Brennan / Toronto Star)

“I do not see this committee as being about just writing another set of protocols that will be on a piece of paper on a wall in an office,” the premier told reporters in Ottawa.

“We’re dealing with cultural norms that need to be shifted. I want to make sure that we have as many voices as possible and that this is not a political exercise about one political party trying to get the upper hand for some political gain. This is a very serious issue,” she said.

“We need to broaden that beyond workplace harassment. We actually need to depoliticize this discussion and make sure that there are other voices involved . . . and make sure that we hear from young people and we hear from the aboriginal community, and we hear from LBGTQ youth.”

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Conservative MPP Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock) has been pushing for a committee to look for ways to tackle sexual harassment ever since CBC fired Ghomeshi last month.

The former host of the daily show Q was sacked after showing his bosses “graphic evidence” of what he says was consensual rough sex with a partner. He has denied any wrongdoing and has launched a $55 million lawsuit against the public broadcaster.

So far nine women have come forward to the Star and other media outlets with complaints about him, and Toronto Police are investigating three of those.

The Ghomeshi affair has sparked a firestorm around sexual harassment with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau suspending two MPs for allegedly harassing NDP counterparts.

While details around the committee still must be determined, Wynne conceded “in every workplace, every campus, every context, we can and must do better” to deal with sexual violence and harassment.

Her intervention comes at the same time as an ongoing Star investigation into how Canadian post-secondary institutions are failing sexual assault victims.

Of 78 universities surveyed across the country, just nine have special policies addressing sexual assault, seen as a necessary step.

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None of the 24 public Ontario colleges surveyed by the Star had a special policy.

On Friday, Queen’s University and the University of Saskatchewan committed to developing sexual assault policies and the provincial groups representing universities and colleges across Ontario have launched reviews of existing policies and set up special meetings to tackle the issue.

On Monday, the national association representing universities in Canada told the Star their board will discuss what they can do to improve their response to sexual assault at a meeting in January.

“I personally am deeply troubled when I hear of a sexual assault within the university community and I believe all of my presidential colleagues are as well,” said David Barnard, chair of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

Barnard added the goal is to ensure all member schools have clear and accessible protocols in place to support people who experience sexual violence.

An aide for the minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Reza Moridi, said in an email it is a “priority” to find ways to improve how post-secondary institutions handle sexual assault.

Moridi will work with schools and officials to find the most effective way to discuss what is and isn’t working and how best to move forward.

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